Eric Shiner Leaves Sotheby’s to Join White Cube

Eric Shiner, who stepped down as director of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in mid-2016 to become a senior vice president at Sotheby’s, is leaving the auction house to join White Cube’s New York office as artistic director. He will start with the gallery, which also has two exhibition spaces in London and one in Hong Kong, in the fall.

The announcement comes just weeks after news broke that Christy MacLear, who stepped down as CEO of the Rauschenberg Foundation in late 2016 to join Sotheby’s, was no longer at the company. MacLear had worked with the auction houses’s Art Agency, Partners group, advising estates and foundations; Shiner was hired in the house’s fine arts division, which is headed by AAP co-founders Amy Cappellazzo and Allan Schwartzman.

“White Cube has always been a true game changer in the cultural sphere,” Shiner said in a news release. “I am thrilled to join its dynamic team of passionate arts promoters and further develop the gallery’s global roster of artists.” He added, “My time at Sotheby’s has been incredibly rewarding, and I will miss working with my simply amazing colleagues. In the end, working with artists is my true passion, and this new role allows me to return to making sure the most relevant voices of our age are heard and celebrated.”

White Cube’s global artistic director, Susan May, said in a statement, “Eric’s extensive experience with artists, collectors and museums over several decades made him the ideal candidate to lead in the development of White Cube’s activities in the U.S.”

Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Sotheby’s said in an email, “We are grateful for Eric’s many contributions over the past two years and wish him well as he returns to pursue his passion for working with artists.”